Feed-water heater.



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FEED WATER HEATER. (Applica tio n filed July 20, 1901.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

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FEED WATER HEATER.

(Application filed July 20; 1901,)

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WILLIAM H. BROWN, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

FEED-WATER HEATER.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent N o. 712,118, dated October 28, 1902.

Application filed July 20, 190].- Serial No. 68,995. (No model.)

vention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its especial object to improve the construction of feed-water heaters for boilers; and to this end it consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described, and defined in the claims. These feed-water heaters are usually employed in connection with various forms of fire-box boilers,-such as used in locomotives, traction-engines, marine engines, and. fire-engines.

My invention is especially directed to the improvement of feed-water heaters for locomotive-boilers. This class of boilers, as is well known, are provided at their front end with a so-called smoke-box from which the smoke-stack opens at the top and into which the exhaust-nozzle opens in vertical line with the smoke-stack. A netting for stopping the cinders divides the smoke-box into an upper and lower compartment.

In accordance with my invention I locate the feed-water heater in the upper compartment of the smoke-box above the netting, so that the tubes and joints of the heater are protected from the intense cutting action of the hot cinders, which shoot into the smokebox from the boiler-tubes under the action of the forced draft.

My invention further involves minor novel features of construction, which will hereinafter appear both in the specification and in the claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings,- wherein like character's indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Figure 1 is a View, partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section, showing the forward section of a locomotive-boiler having my improved feed-water heater and connections applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a detail view, in side elevation, some parts being broken away, showing the feed-water heater removed from working position. Fig. dis a plan view of the said feed-water heater, and Fig. dis a vertical section on the line :0 00 of Figs. 2 and 8.

Of the ordinary parts of the locomotiveboiler the numeral 1 indicates the boiler proper, the numeral 2 the forward flue-sheet, the numeral 3 the fines, the numeral 4 the smoke-box, the numeral 5 the exhaust-nozzle, the numeral 6 the netting, the numeral 7 the reflectorplate, the numeral 8 the smoke-stack, and the numeral 9 the so-called' petticoat-pipe, the latter of which, as is ordinary, is located between and in axial line with said exhaust-nozzle 5 and stack 8.

' The feed-water heater is located Withinthe smoke-box 4 above the netting 6 and around the petticoat-pipe 9. This feed-water heater may take various forms; but the form illustrated has advantages over all forms which I have so far devised, especially for locomotive work. The main body portion of this feed-water heater is made up of a relatively large tube or pipe a, which is bent to form a double U-that is, a pair of parallel U-shaped sections connected at the ends of one side by a vertical or approximately upright section a, which, as shown, is formed integral therewith or as a part of the same tube. Thus the main pipe or tube a is formed with but two ends. The upper end thereof is connected to a short and preferably small pipe I), which opens into the boiler through the flue-sheet 2. .The other end of the said main or body pipe (1. is connected to an inflowpipe I), which is also preferably relatively small as compared with the said pipe 01..

The parallel upper and lower portions of the main or body pipe at is connected at various points by a plurality of relatively small vertical tubes o The injector-pipefleads to the upper portion of one end of a mud-drum g, which is located at the outside of the boiler. The pipe Z) leads from the upperportion of the other end of the said mud-drum. The injectorpipe f is provided with a check-valve f which permits the flow of water through the pipe f into the mud-drum, but prevents return flow. The mud-drum g is shown as provided with a blow-0E valve g, which leads from the lower portion thereof. The feed-water heater is shown as supported from the top of the smokebox by means of brackets 7c.

The operation is substantially as follows: The feed-water in passing through the muddrumg is cleared of scale or sediment and is delivered therefrom through the pipe 1) into the lower receiving end of the main or body tube a of the feed-Water heater. The hot gases or products of combustion in passing through the smoke-box 4 to the stack 8 come into contact with all portions of the bodypipe at and vertically-connecting tubes (1 so that the water contained therein will be subjected to intense heat. The water is free to pass entirely through the body-tube a and considerable thereof will take this route, but the main portion of the water will take the shorter route up through the vertical tubes a Since the total amount of water which passes through the tubes a and a is the same as that passed through the inlet and outlet tubes 1) and b, respectively, it of course follows that the water will pass very slowly through the said tubes a and a and consequently will be delayed and held subject to the heating media forarelativelyverylongtime. This,ofcourse, insures better heating of the water. Since the heat carried by the products of combustion into the smoke-stack is wasted heat, it of course follows that a great saving in fuel is effected by myimproved device, wherein from these products of combustion the feedwater is heated to a very high temperature. Furthermore, it is important to heat the feed- Water to a high temperature in order to dissolve or soften any scale which may be carried into the boiler.

From what has already been said it will of course be understood that the device above described is capable of a large range of modification within the scope of my invention.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is as follows:

1. The combination with a horizontal boiler having at one end a smoke-box, a smoke-stack opening from said smoke-box, an exhaustnozzle opening into said smoke-box and a netting dividing said smoke-box into upper and lower compartments, of a feed-water heater 1o( ated in the upper compartment of said smoke-box and protected from cinders by said netting, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a horizontal boiler having at one end a smoke-box, a smoke-stack opening from the top of said smoke-box, an exhaust-nozzle opening into said smoke-box in vertical line with said stack, a netting separating said smoke-box into upper and lower compartments, of a feed-water heater located within the upper compartment of said smoke-box, which'heater involves a plurality of tubes, the aggregate conducting capacity of which greatly exceeds that of the water inlet thereto and outlet therefrom, substantially as described.

3. The combination with the boiler 1 having the smoke-box 4E, smoke-stack 8, exhaustnozzle 5, netting 6 and petticoat-pipe 9, which parts 5, 8 and 9 are in vertical line, of a feedwater heater within said smoke-box above said netting, which heater involves a double U-shaped body-tube a with inlet and outlet passages, and a plurality of vertical tubes a? connecting the upper and lower portions of said tube a, and which tube a embraces the said petticoat-pipe, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM H. BROWN.

Witnesses:

E. H. KELLIHER, F. D. MERCHANT. 

